Awarded to units that were cited twice or more in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army, the Belgian fourragère is in the same colors as the ribbon of the World War II Belgian Croix de Guerre and is more or less the unit version of that award.
The fourragère was created by Prince Charles and is referred to as the “Fourragère 1940,” denoting the year Belgium was attacked by Germany in World War II. Orders of the Day of the Belgian Army were not issued only during time wartime; some American units that earned their second mention in orders issued as late as July 1950. Also, the second mention did not automatically guarantee a unit would receive the fourragère. The Belgian government instead had to issue a specific decree authorizing the honor.
Following the war, veterans who had served in units honored with the Belgian fourragère who for some reason had not received the device could send a request to the Military Section of the Belgian Embassy (these requests required proof of military service). After verification by the historical center of the Belgian Ministry of Defense, the Defense Attaché’s Office would contact the U.S. Army to confirm the veteran had indeed been authorized to wear the Belgian fourragère.
Regulations regarding the wear of the Belgian fourragère are found in both DA 670-1 and AR 670-1.